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Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Steel Leviathan

Sometimes I still mull over ASE and things like will it ever get more levels, and will I ever write anything more for the setting.

Sometimes this musing goes as far as drawing some stuff for the setting. Like this Steel Leviathan and Unyielding Fist detachment. I think this is a bigger and meaner steel Leviathan then the ones described in ASE - I imagine that it is a new creation from the Academy designed for the wars against the Dinosaur Khan and Serpent Men of the Certopsian plains who threaten Denethix's expansion and sovereignty.

It's also a chance to play around with some drawing effects.

Let's take this another step ... here are stats for "Red Ruin" and the unit it's part of. If you are running ASE, they can flesh out the Unyielding Fist that guards all the other entrances of the megadungeon after it opensTHE FORLORN POETSA proper expedition to the new dungeon will take a time to mount, and with Denethix currently locked in a nasty war with the forces of the Dinosaur Khanate around Topperstown, Captain Tyro lacks a rapid reaction force at the Denethix Garrision.

He will instead send this grousing, footsore, short Company of the Lannington 14th Expeditionary Foot Guards (“The Forlorn Poets”), who are supported by two experimental flamethrower equipped Steel Leviathan “Crocodiles”. The men are relieved to be here in the Denethix farm belt rather than fighting raptor riders in the Certopisan, those the war machines feel a bit ill served. The Poets are nervous that should the Subsurface Environment prove too important another unit will be sent to replace them, or should it prove worthless they will be withdrawn. The Poets correctly intuit that if they are withdrawn they will be transferred to die on the brutal Eastern Front and they may be willing to make deals to keep themselves in Tyro's good graces - the Leviathans are more incorruptable. Nervousness makes their sword arms and trigger fingers itchy.The Forlorn Poets are understrength, but identical to all other Unyielding Fist Units except for red feather plumes on their helmets. The Company currently includes: 41 Unyielding Fist “Foot Soldiers”, 22 Unyielding Fist “Riflemen”, 8 Unyielding Fist “Infantry Officers” and 1 Unyielding Fist “Mounted Officer” (Subedar Sassoon) [See ASE 1 pg. 14 for Stats]. More dangerous than the Fist’s soldiers are a pair of large infantry support Steel Leviathans - “Mother’s Little Helper (‘Little Mom’)” and “Red Ruin”. Like all Leviathans their mechanical brains are warlike and pugnacious - but as infantry support Leviathans they are also protective, even mothering to Fist soldiers.Medium Steel Leviathan “Crocodile” - AC 1*, HD10, hp 64 HP each, #AT 3 (large flamethrower**, heavy machine gun, howitzer***) or charge****, D( 2D8/1D10/2D6) MV (80’), Save F12, ML 10* The front glacis of Medium Steel Leviathans is terribly thick and immune to most attacks, absorbing the first 12 points of damage from any attack made at the front of the Crocodile.** A large flamethrower can fire a stream of napalm jelly up to 20’, and is 5’ wide at it’s terminus. Any caught in the flaming stream take 2D8 damage and an additional 2D6 damage for the next three rounds. *** The howitzer may fire once every three rounds, and may only fire forward. Any target in front of the Crocodile and at least 30’ away can be targeted. Howitzer shells effect a 10’ circle around the target and any creature of less then 5 HD within that circle must Save vs. Wands or be instantly killed. Creatures making their save take 2D6 damage while those over 5 HD who fail take 4D6 Damage. If the target is in hard cover (inside a building or in a trench for example) a successful save prevents damage, and a failed save inflicts only 2d6 HP. The Howitzer also has a 3 in 6 chance of destroying any cover in its blast radius. **** May charge in a 10’ straight line, doing 1D6 damage for every 10’ traveled (maximum 6D6) vs. any in its path.

I have got ASE1. Never got round to playing it, but if I ever do, your resources will be my first port of call. Is ASE2 worth getting? I have to agree with Alexander Numbers that the setting of Denethix is better than the dungeon...

As someone who did some of the art in ASE II I think it's worth reading. It expands the dungeon and gets into levels where there are actual factions. Level 2 and 3 are strange and gonzo with troglodytes, fungal forests, gill-men, the painted men (cannibal dungeon clowns) and some good puzzles. It's high quality megadungeon. You have to want megadungeon though. There's also a few optional class (Moktar, Instect Man, Robot, Scientist) and a few new tables.